The second season of Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power came to an end this week, and the finale seemed to leave little doubt as to the identity of the "Dark Wizard" played by Game of Thrones alum Ciarán Hinds.
However, all may not be as it seems when it comes to this mysterious and very powerful character.
We know that this blatantly evil sorcerer is an "Istar," and it was generally assumed that he must be Sarauman. Granted, it would be a pretty major change to the lore if this character "broke bad" prior to the events of Tolkien's trilogy, but so would the introduction of another Istari who was never mentioned in the saga at all.
This led to speculation that Hinds might be playing either Alatar or Pallando, the "Blue Wizards" who are never really discussed in any great detail in The Lord of the Rings or the History of Middle-earth.
The season 2 finale didn't confirm the wizard's identity, but did reveal that he knew The Stranger - who we now know as Gandalf - and considered him an "old friend." Now, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay have all-but debunked the Saruman theory.
"I'll say something on the record. Given the history of Middle-earth, it would be highly, highly, highly improbable that this could be Saruman," McKay told Vanity Fair. Payne chimed in, "If not impossible."
Mckay elaborated in a separate interview with THR.
"We know that in the history of Middle-earth, some wizards become corrupted. So there is precedent for this, but that doesn’t mean it’s the same guy. As you say, it wouldn’t actually make sense for it to be Saruman.
This makes either Alatar or Pallando the more likely possibility, but it doesn't sound like we'll find out for sure until season 3.
"Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will."
"Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity."
"Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots... as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all.. each other."
Returning cast members include Morfydd Clark, Benjamin Walker, Charles Edwards, Charlie Vickers, Markella Kavenagh, Nazanin Boniadi, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Tyroe Muhafidin, Maxim Baldry, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Trystan Gravelle, Ema Horvath, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Leon Wadham, Daniel Weyman, and Sara Zwangobani.
Sam Hazeldine (Peaky Blinders) replaces Joseph Mawle as Adar, with Ciarán Hinds (Game of Thrones), Rory Kinnear (Penny Dreadful), and Tanya Moodie (The Man Who Fell to Earth) joining the ensemble in key roles.